“Créateurs de convivialité”, a registered trademark, is Pernod Ricard’s group motto. The literal meaning is “creators of conviviality”, or creators of friendliness.

However, intellectual property isn’t always a friendly environment. Counterfeiting of major brands is an increasingly familiar story, and companies have to stop fakes getting into the hands of unwitting customers.

One person who is familiar with counterfeits is Mathieu Prot, group intellectual property director at Pernod Ricard, the French company that owns many well-known alcoholic beverage brands. His role is divided into four parts: prosecution, enforcement, contractual valuation, and the digital world.